Wicker Park

Wicker Park is one of the trendiest hubs of Chicago. It is constantly bustling with the foot traffic of dozens of Chicago’s hottest bars, restaurants, and boutique shops. Specifically it is home to a lot of vintage shopping and thus trendy vintage styles.

The history of Wicker Park goes back to 1870 when brothers Charles and Joel Wicker appropriated 80 acres of land and developed it. German and Scandinavian brewery tycoons built their mansions here within a year, in the aftermath if the 1871 fire. In the 70s it became a cultural hub when artists started renting cheap, open-space warehouses. Studios started coming up everywhere, including the historic Flat Iron Arts Building. The “Around the Coyote” festival, which was launched in 1989, has helped the local artists attain international recognition. In the 80s young couples started buying old family homes and restoring those to single-family residences. As a result Wicker Park gained a culturally homogeneous persona and identity. The crime rate started dropping and business boomed. New studios, bars and restaurants started opening up enhancing the value of the property and making it attractive to investors in real estate. The national historic designation, granted in 1979, made low-interest loans available to homeowners resulting in reinvestment in restoration of historic mansions.

Today Wicker Park is a fashionable address. Populated with trendy bars, haute boutiques, restaurants and happening entertainment, it really is the place to shop, the place to hang out in designer clothes, a place to be seen in. The high energy lends a certain buzz to the place, which is quite discernible. The music lovers have plenty for enjoy at Subterranean, Estelle’s or Nick’s Beer Garden. For nightclubbing there is the right ambience at Ohm, Debonair Social Club and Aberdeen. An eclectic mix of cuisine is also available as most restaurants which are just a hop and skip away. The residents do not need to drive or get a taxi when they decide to dine out. A leisurely stroll is all that it takes.

Wicker Park still has places where one can get cheap beer and has more residents who care about their food and their music than any other people in Chicago. Though there are still some bungalows and cottages left, Wicker Park homes for sale are predominantly townhouses and mid-rise developments to lure today’s buyers. It is an ideal place for people who care about fashion, music, food and books.

The boundaries of Wicker Park are not as delineated as other Chicago neighborhoods but it is generally accepted that Wicker Park is within the boundaries of North Avenue to the north, Ashland to the east, Division to the south and Western Avenue to the west. It is situated northwest of the Loop and south of Bucktown.

More Neighborhood Information

One of Chicago’s creative epicenters lies just west of downtown Chicago in Wicker Park and Bucktown. These synonymous neighborhoods are famous for…